You are your own gig finder

Gigfinder.com is a site loaded with musicians, bands and songwriters. Someone posted the question "Where are the gigs at?" and it got some responses. Along the lines of "yeah we gotta tell them club owners where we at!"

There are many problems with this specific site's concept that will not be solved by getting the word out to club owners and booking as the posters suggested. Craigs List works better without consciously trying. Worse, Gigfinder is ugly to look at (All red text on black background actually hurts the eyes) and does not organize itself according to location. That's enough to kill it right there.

Booking talent of any kind requires an audition. Before that happens some kind of personal connection is probably required to filter out the untalented, talented unreliable, etc etc. It is no fun to find nice ways to tell random people that they suck without them badmouthing your place to everyone who will listen. Or letting the air out of your tires. Or telling the police there are drug deals going down at your place at 2am.

Start out at open mics, jams, poetry slams - something. Get to know people - musicians, bands, wedding planners, owners - and work your way in your local scene - there is no shortcut.

Gigfinder.com is a site loaded with musicians, bands and songwriters. Someone posted the question "Where are the gigs at?" and it got some responses. Along the lines of "yeah we gotta tell them club owners where we at!"

There are many problems with this specific site's concept that will not be solved by getting the word out to club owners and booking as the posters suggested. Craigs List works better without consciously trying. Worse, Gigfinder is ugly to look at (All red text on black background actually hurts the eyes) and does not organize itself according to location. That's enough to kill it right there.

Booking talent of any kind requires an audition. Before that happens some kind of personal connection is probably required to filter out the untalented, talented unreliable, etc etc. It is no fun to find nice ways to tell random people that they suck without them badmouthing your place to everyone who will listen. Or letting the air out of your tires. Or telling the police there are drug deals going down at your place at 2am.

Start out at open mics, jams, poetry slams - something. Get to know people - musicians, bands, wedding planners, owners - and work your way in your local scene - there is no shortcut.

The Power of One Audience Member

We live for the magical moments when we connect with someone in the audience. When someone hears and appreciates the music we are playing it puts us into total overdrive. Most folks in an audience have no idea how much power they wield over the entire show!

Try this experiment if you are at a small show in a neighborhood club and feeling bold: Maybe the band isn't quite doing it for you or the audience is kinda blase, OK? Get up there and start nodding your head, start moving to the beat. Get a friend to join in. Even if it's a bit of work, do it anyway. Dance, headbang, Dio salute, whatever. Make eye contact with someone in the band and nod knowingly. Something.

Then watch and feel what happens - this will often create a snowball effect where the band perks up, the audience wakes up, and the next song starts and everything seems awesome.

If you do this at our show I will definitely buy you and your friend a round - just introduce yourselves to the band : )

One person can ruin it for everyone too, but a pro will turn it around. For example... (Strong language alert)

We live for the magical moments when we connect with someone in the audience. When someone hears and appreciates the music we are playing it puts us into total overdrive. Most folks in an audience have no idea how much power they wield over the entire show!

Try this experiment if you are at a small show in a neighborhood club and feeling bold: Maybe the band isn't quite doing it for you or the audience is kinda blase, OK? Get up there and start nodding your head, start moving to the beat. Get a friend to join in. Even if it's a bit of work, do it anyway. Dance, headbang, Dio salute, whatever. Make eye contact with someone in the band and nod knowingly. Something.

Then watch and feel what happens - this will often create a snowball effect where the band perks up, the audience wakes up, and the next song starts and everything seems awesome.

If you do this at our show I will definitely buy you and your friend a round - just introduce yourselves to the band : )

One person can ruin it for everyone too, but a pro will turn it around. For example... (Strong language alert)

The Cost of Cheap Equipment

The music equipment business trades on emotion as much or more than any other aspect of the music industry. But we have found there are real differences between instruments that cost less than $300 and those that run up to $1000. Still plenty of room for emotion to play a part too.

For instance, you might feel underdressed to play a big venue with a low-end instrument, even if nobody notices or cares. Pretty much an emotion thing there. But what if the battery dies in the middle of a set? Then you realize you have to use a screwdriver to replace it because they only put the quick-change doors on the more expensive model. You do keep a screwdriver in your case, right? Where is the case? They put it somewhere? Let's say emotion plays a part here too: panic. embarrassment. 

There are many manufacturing shortcuts that lower the purchase price but make an instrument impossible to set up properly or maintain. These are usually hardly noticeable. For instance our bass player had an instrument that had the audio jack fully embedded in the wood of the body. When it shorted out soon after purchase the only way to service it was to find a repair shop with a special removal tool, or send it back for a replacement.  From the outside it looked just like the jack on the more expensive models. It's cheaper/quicker to yank the jack into the hole with glue than to hold it in with a nut that is screwed on from the inside on a longer, more expensive part.

The most obvious sign of cheapness is usually the fret ends - if they aren't filed right they can be sharp enough to rub the skin off your hand. Another is the roll-off of the volume knob - does the volume smoothly descend to silence, or does it cut off 1/8 of a turn before you get to the stop?

More subtle are issues with making adjustments and replacements. The jack is a good example. Pickup height adjustment screws made of very soft metal with loctite on the ends. Look out for instruments that seem to be tuned several steps lower than normal. A new thing is acoustic guitars with what seem to be high-end wood veneer tops that are really more like decals of wood. Maybe OK for a Christmas gift to a Taylor wannabe?

That said our bass player is off to the music store to check out another bass with more strings this time - wish him luck : )

The music equipment business trades on emotion as much or more than any other aspect of the music industry. But we have found there are real differences between instruments that cost less than $300 and those that run up to $1000. Still plenty of room for emotion to play a part too.

For instance, you might feel underdressed to play a big venue with a low-end instrument, even if nobody notices or cares. Pretty much an emotion thing there. But what if the battery dies in the middle of a set? Then you realize you have to use a screwdriver to replace it because they only put the quick-change doors on the more expensive model. You do keep a screwdriver in your case, right? Where is the case? They put it somewhere? Let's say emotion plays a part here too: panic. embarrassment. 

There are many manufacturing shortcuts that lower the purchase price but make an instrument impossible to set up properly or maintain. These are usually hardly noticeable. For instance our bass player had an instrument that had the audio jack fully embedded in the wood of the body. When it shorted out soon after purchase the only way to service it was to find a repair shop with a special removal tool, or send it back for a replacement.  From the outside it looked just like the jack on the more expensive models. It's cheaper/quicker to yank the jack into the hole with glue than to hold it in with a nut that is screwed on from the inside on a longer, more expensive part.

The most obvious sign of cheapness is usually the fret ends - if they aren't filed right they can be sharp enough to rub the skin off your hand. Another is the roll-off of the volume knob - does the volume smoothly descend to silence, or does it cut off 1/8 of a turn before you get to the stop?

More subtle are issues with making adjustments and replacements. The jack is a good example. Pickup height adjustment screws made of very soft metal with loctite on the ends. Look out for instruments that seem to be tuned several steps lower than normal. A new thing is acoustic guitars with what seem to be high-end wood veneer tops that are really more like decals of wood. Maybe OK for a Christmas gift to a Taylor wannabe?

That said our bass player is off to the music store to check out another bass with more strings this time - wish him luck : )

On Performing to a Dull Audience

Watching a video from 1969 of Led Zeppelin playing before a non-appreciative, stone-faced French audience reveals much about the band's stagecraft.

Footage begins behind the curtain as the band is told to start, seemingly nonchalant about the whole thing.  They seem very experienced by this time: going out before an audience of about 200 people and a television crew is not a big deal. Noticed the John Paul Jones is late coming out, maybe familiarity is starting to become contempt?

Then they just start playing as polite applause can be heard. And one thing really stands out - no matter what the audience, Robert Plant has to work himself into a frenzy to be able to sing the way he does. Jimmy Page can't just stand still and play the rhythm and lead. John Bonham must twirl the sticks over his head. John Paul Jones is the only one who can stand off in the corner and do his thing regardless.

So, maybe this is a lesson about an essential aspect of what defines Rock and Roll music: it must be performed with an uncompromising approach to be done at all. In Led Zeppelin's case it is the frenzy of Plant and Page combined with loudness. In another context it is the detached cool of Lou Reed. In any case it is a real challenge for a cover band. Especially when playing to a polite audience in the age of Youtube.

Audience reaction shot

Watching a video from 1969 of Led Zeppelin playing before a non-appreciative, stone-faced French audience reveals much about the band's stagecraft.

Footage begins behind the curtain as the band is told to start, seemingly nonchalant about the whole thing.  They seem very experienced by this time: going out before an audience of about 200 people and a television crew is not a big deal. Noticed the John Paul Jones is late coming out, maybe familiarity is starting to become contempt?

Then they just start playing as polite applause can be heard. And one thing really stands out - no matter what the audience, Robert Plant has to work himself into a frenzy to be able to sing the way he does. Jimmy Page can't just stand still and play the rhythm and lead. John Bonham must twirl the sticks over his head. John Paul Jones is the only one who can stand off in the corner and do his thing regardless.

So, maybe this is a lesson about an essential aspect of what defines Rock and Roll music: it must be performed with an uncompromising approach to be done at all. In Led Zeppelin's case it is the frenzy of Plant and Page combined with loudness. In another context it is the detached cool of Lou Reed. In any case it is a real challenge for a cover band. Especially when playing to a polite audience in the age of Youtube.

Audience reaction shot

Picking Songs

Last Friday night we ran through 2 sets, then went through our list of new covers. Everyone has some music they want to play, and a rationale. We listen to each track and discuss.

Everyone is very respectful of the each member's list - and each member puts a lot of care and consideration into what they bring, too. Everyone wants to play the songs we can all be proud and excited to play on a stage in front of our fans, friends and family.

There is a mental checklist involved:

On the positive side
1. I really love this and I want us to play it
2. Someone I know loves this and wants me/us to play it
3. The audience will really love this we should try it
4. Band "X" that I admire covers this and we should too if we want to be at their level
5. This would be a lot of fun to play/jam on

On the negative side
1. I/we can't play that - too hard
2. Bizarre tuning will require another 2 guitars just to play it
3. Vocal range exceeds normal human values
4. Oh the lyrics say that? No thank you
5. Someone hates it for any reason

It may be surprising, but male/female vocalist or song lyrics have never come up as a factor for a specific song being suggested or dropped. I have heard the concern raised that we should include both in our mix. And it isn't Patti bringing a bunch of female vocal songs and the guys bringing all male covers. It could happen, but not driven by an agenda.

Last Friday night we ran through 2 sets, then went through our list of new covers. Everyone has some music they want to play, and a rationale. We listen to each track and discuss.

Everyone is very respectful of the each member's list - and each member puts a lot of care and consideration into what they bring, too. Everyone wants to play the songs we can all be proud and excited to play on a stage in front of our fans, friends and family.

There is a mental checklist involved:

On the positive side
1. I really love this and I want us to play it
2. Someone I know loves this and wants me/us to play it
3. The audience will really love this we should try it
4. Band "X" that I admire covers this and we should too if we want to be at their level
5. This would be a lot of fun to play/jam on

On the negative side
1. I/we can't play that - too hard
2. Bizarre tuning will require another 2 guitars just to play it
3. Vocal range exceeds normal human values
4. Oh the lyrics say that? No thank you
5. Someone hates it for any reason

It may be surprising, but male/female vocalist or song lyrics have never come up as a factor for a specific song being suggested or dropped. I have heard the concern raised that we should include both in our mix. And it isn't Patti bringing a bunch of female vocal songs and the guys bringing all male covers. It could happen, but not driven by an agenda.